Fluos



Oct. 4, 1938.

L. c. KOTR ASCHEK ET AL 7 FLUOROSCOPIC APPARATUS Filed Oct. '7, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

ATTOR Oct. 4, 1938. c. KOTRASCHEK ET AL I 2,132,076

FLUOROSC PIC APPARA I Filed Oct. 7, 1955 5 Sheefs-Sheet 2 BY /syey Cf. E /m7 L. c. KOTRASCHEK ET AL 32,076

FLUOROSCOPIC APPARATUS Filed Oct. 7, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. [50. 6 /%reeam -z BY ,/sM x C. 580 7 ATTORNEY.

' Get 4, 1938.,

| c. KOTRASCHEK ET AL, 2,

FLUOROSCOPIC APPARATUS Filed Oct. '7, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS. 450, C- areqpcs sz I BkN/ f ATTORNEY.

Oct 4, 1938. c. KOTRASCHEK ET AL 2,132,076

FLUOROS COP IC APPARATUS Filed Oct. 7, 1955 WNW Eul 19 mum I I FJ' 8 ATTORNEY.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 4, 1938 UNITE STA? 51 rep;

0. Brunst, Covington, Kym,

assignors to The Kelley-Koett Manufacturing Company, line, Covingtcn, Ky., a, corporation of Ohio Application October '7, 1935, Serial No. 43,818

. Claims.

This invention relates to X-ray apparatus, particularly fluoroscopic apparatus.

The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of the fluoroscopic screens, its "5- mountings and traverse mechanism which is more convenient, rigid, efficient and compact than those previously known.

Referring to the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view from the left of a fluoroscope, which embodies our invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view from the right of the essential features of our invention, part of the paneling being broken away to show parts usually hidden.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view of our apparatus taken on the line 3-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail elevation of the X-ray tube and its traverse mechanism.

Figure 5 is a View from below of the fluoroscopic screen arm, its gear sector and pinion.

Figure 6 is an elevational detail of the screen supporting arm, its traversing and locking means.

Fig.'7 is a detail of one, of the shutter con trolling mechanism that may be used to limit the fluoroscopic field of vision. It is an elevation taken from the reverse side of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a detail of the arm which supports the fluoroscopic screen partly in section to show the novel arrangement of levers.

Our apparatus has the usual rectangular sided case iii, the front of which is a panel ll transparent to X-rays. Behind the panel an X ray tube i2 is arranged so that it can be traversed behind all portions of the panel. The lower part of the case it? may house a step-up transformer With or Without rectifying valves (not shown) if desired, to supply high voltage current to the X-ray tube. At the front of the panel H the usual fluorescent screen i3 is arranged to be traversed over the entire area of the panel manually by means of hand grips Hi. Such traversing has the conventional effect of also moving the X-ray tube iii to follow the screen. The invention resides in the shape and arrangement of the parts, and their co-operation in the specific mechanical movement which we employ to traverse the screen it and the tube l2 over the panel area. By our invention we are able to eliminate the conventional diaphragm arm, save weight and consequent efi'o-rt to start the traverse, and improve the rigidity. In our construction we eliminate springing of the arms supporting the screen, and consequently the binding of the bearings. I

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the means employed for traversably mounting the X-ray tube are shown. In Figure 4, i5 is a vertical rail of round sectionand in Figures 3 and 4, i6 is a vertical rail of U section. Within the channel of the latter rollers ll are adapted to run. These are rotatably mounted on spindles is which project from a vertical tie bar it. The latter is on its opposite side, provided with sockets into each of which a rail bar 2i for the support of a f slidable X-ray tube carriage 22, is fitted. Vertical rail i5 is provided with a guiding and locking sleeve 23 (Figure 6) to which is attached a plurality of rollers l! which roll on rail l5. A hand operated knob 24 to which a locking screw 32 (Figures 1 and 6) is attached, is arranged transversely in the forward side of sleeve 23 so that it may be tightened on rail E5 to lock the entire X-ray tube traversing mechanism 25 against vertical travel. The sleeve 23 is also provided with sockets 2%! into which the left ends of rail bars 2i are received. It will thus be seen that the vertical distance between the rail bars 2i as Well as between members l9 and 20 is at all times a constant.

While the drawings show the X-ray tube mounted vertically, this position may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Any appropriate means may be employed for supporting the X-ray tube l2 in the carriage 22 and said carriage may have means to hold suitable'Xray shutters 26 for limiting the fluoroscopic field. Carriage 22 is slidable on the rail bars 2! by means of four. bearings l which may contain suitable anti-friction devices such as balls or rollers.

' Traversing mechanism 25 is exactly counter Weighted-to minimize the effort required to move it. The actual counterweight is a lead weight 29 which is supported at both ends at the back of case ill, by a pair of chains 38 each of which passes over a pair of pulleys 3! which are actu-. ally at the top of the interior of case it but have been included in Figure 3 to make the operation clearer.

Above sleeve 23, a screen supporting primary arm 2i is swingably mounted by means of an integral sleeve 28 (Figure 1). It also is adapted to travel vertically with carriage 25. The arm is pivoted on a boss 38 which projects upwardly from a lug 34 extending forward from sleeve 23. Other lugs 35 and it, the latter the upper one project rearwardly from sleeve 23 and are provided at their ends with the sockets 20 previously mentioned.

Lug 36 has a vertical boss 31 upon which is rotatably mounted a combined gear 38 and sprocket 39. A drive'chain 48 contacts sprocket 39 and another sprocket 4| which is rotatably mounted on the top of tie bar l9. One side of chain 43 is parallel to upper rail bar 2|. Carriage 22 is provided with an arm '42 to which chain 48 is at one point attached. Any movement of the chain over the sprockets will therefore pull carriage 22 and X-ray tub-e I 2 rail bars 2|.

The screen primary arm 21 carries a gear sector 43 which meshes with the gear 38. Adjacent the sector is an opening id'of considerable size. In assembly, vertical rail 15 passes thru opening 44 while boss 33 passes thru another opening 45 in arm 21, said latter opening being located in the armon the side of the opening 44 opposite the gear sector. The arm can'therefore oscillate on boss 33 to a limit determined by the number of teeth of a given pitch in the sector or by the lateral extent of opening 44. The forward or extending part of the'arm hasa pronounced curvature and terminates in a boss 45 having a vertical hole 41. It is evident therefore that any movement of the extending end or the arm will rotate gear 38 and sprocket 39,, so causing travel of chain 48 and horizontal movement of the X-ray tube. Such possible movements are shown in dotted line in Figure 3.

novel and to be an improvement since the operator encumbered by heavy lead rubber gloves can manipulate levers better than knobs and in this apparatus he does not have to reach so far.

1 In Fig. 7 there is shown the details of one form of a field limiting device controllable by the levers 5 l. The figure shows the reverse side of the X-ray tube carriage 22 shownin Figs. 2 and 4. On each side of the aperture in carriage 22 there are grooved sills 55 in which the two doors or shutters 26 are adapted to slide. Attached to each door is-one arm of a lazy tong device 55which is well knownfin the art and need not be described further. .Operatively connected todevice 56 is a Bowden wire 51 which may be manipulated by either of the levers 5|. It is to be understood that the doors on the reverse side of the carriage 22 are slidable by the above devices in a vertical direction,- while those on the obverseside are sli-dable horizontally and actuable by devices similar to those shown in Fig. '7 except arranged to work in a direction 90 away. By providing two sets of doors working 90 is always held square. No novelty is claimed for this arrangement.

The two Bowden wires 57 each actuating one set of doors 26, receive their propelling force from the levers 5! to which they are attached by screws Ihe'levers themselves are rotatable about a fulcrum 59. The position and existence of the levers in this class of mechanism is novel, but no novelty is claimed for their specific form of attachment to the Bowden controls. 7 Electrical control of the X-ray tube is provided by a small elongated box 52 attached to the left side of case i but which however, takes up'much less room than the old style fiuoroscope arm.

in a horizontal direction on apart the aperture 24 is on the outside thereof. Vertical traverse of arm 2'! is therefore free of hindrance from case I 0 except at the upper and lower limits of panel I I.

It is of importance that the operation of counterweight 29 does not bring metal parts too close to the high tension wires which supply the X-ray tube with current. To this end, a plurality of automatic-take-up reels 55 are providedattachedto the top inner surface of case I 0, but shown in Figure 3. Their position is inside of the rectangle formed by a plane view of chains 56, counterweight 29 and rail bars 2| so that ample clearance is preserved. Their function is. I to take up the slack of the high tension wires.

In operation, the operator does only those ma nipulations which he would do with a conventional fluoroscope. Like aconventional apparatus the means for vertical traverse and the means for horizontal traverse of the screen I3 and tube It may beactuated at the same time and the tube i2 will follow the screen while preserving a position directly behind the latter at all points over'panel H. Shorter connections however reduce vibration, make the response to manual effort quicker and reduce the space required for the apparatus. 7

Because sprocket 39 is larger than either gear 38 or sprocket M, a small horizontalmovement of primary arm 27 will cause the rotation of gear sector. Such ratio is necessary so that the tube carriage will follow horizontally the fluoroscopic screen in such of its movements asdo not involve a change in the distance of the screenfrom the panel.

' We claim as our invention: V

1. A fluoroscopic apparatus comprising a case; an'X-ray tube within said case, a panel'tran's parent to X-rays in the front-of the casehaving a long opening adjacent the longer edge of said panel and parallel thereto, arail behind said opening and parallel thereto, a movable sleeve on said rail, a primary arm and screen adapted to support a fluorescent screen pivotably mounted on said sleeve and extending thru said long opening, a gear sector on that end of said arm adjacent said sleeve, a plurality of rails supporting said X-ray tube, said rails extending substantially at right angles to said first mentioned rail, an

X-ray tube supporting carriage slidably mounted on said. rails, a drive chain parallel to said X-ray tube supporting rails and connected to .said carriage, a sprocket mounted on said sleeve and adapted to drive said chain, another sprocket rotatably mounted on saidcarriage adjacent that end of said X-ray tube supporting rails which is opposite said first mentioned rail, said sprocket also carrying said chain, means for said chain to drive said carriage and a gear mounted on said sleeve adjacent to said first mentioned sprocket and meshing with the gear sector on said arm whereby rotation of said gear sector will actuate said sprocket and said chain to cause a movemerit of said carriage and said X-ray tube on the rails supporting them said X-ray tube simultaneously and coextensiveand means for elevating ly with an elevating movement applied to the screen.

2. In a fluoroscopic apparatus, an X-ray tube carriage, said carriage presenting a substantially rectangular elevation to the front of said apparatus, a pair of horizontal rails upon which said carriage is arranged to slide, a projection upon one point of the front of said carriage, a horizontally arranged drive chain, one side of which closely parallels that one of said rails closest to said projection, a short connection between said chain and said projection, a pair of sprockets arranged in operative relation to said chain, a drive gear for one of said sprockets, an arm for a fluoroscopic screen, a gear sector integral with said arm and meshing with said gear, a vertical sleeve, said sleeve carrying said horizontal rails by one end of each, a vertical boss on said sleeve, the axis of which is parallel to said rail, said arm being pivoted on said boss at a point intermediate of the ends of said arm and a fluoroscopic screen pivoted on the outer end of said arm.

3. In a fluoroscopic apparatus, a casting, a primary arm for supporting a fluoroscopic screen, a secondary arm, a pivot supporting said secondary arm at its inner end so as to allow horizontal movement, a fluoroscopic screen pivoted on the outer end of said secondary arm, a pair of horizontal rails within the casing, an X-ray tube carriage horizontally slidable on said rails, and means for multiplying and communicating a horizontal movement of the said primary arm to said carriage.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which the multiplying and communicating means comprises a gear sector on said primary arm rotatable by horizontal movement of said primary arm, a gear meshing therewith, a sprocket on the same shaft and larger than said gear and rotatable therewith, a second sprocket smaller than the first mounted upon said X-ray tube carriage and a drive chain operative by said sprockets and attached at one point to said X-ray tube carriage sprocket so that rotation of the sprockets communicates horizontal motion to the X-ray tube carriage thru said chain.

5. A vertical fluoroscope comprising a casing, a radiographically transparent panel in the front of said casing and supported by said casing, the latter having a long narrow vertical opening adjacent one side of said panel, a vertical rail behind said opening, said rail supported in said casing, a sleeve mounted slidably on said rail behind said opening, an X-ray tube support mounted in said casing behind said panel, said tube support being attached to said sleeve and vertically movable therewith, an arm extending from said sleeve outwardly thru said opening, a secondary arm mounted upon the end of said first mentioned arm, a fluoroscopic screen carried upon the outer end of said second arm, a horizontally movable carriage on said X-ray tube support and a sprocket and chain connection between said sleeve and said carriage to move said carriage horizontally in register with said fluoroscopic screen.

HENRY C. BRUNST. LEO C. KOTRASCHEK. 

